Fever
by smm
Summary: Hawkeye begins to get a little restless with the monotony...things get a little out of hand when she decides she needs a break from the norm. Rated for slight risque stuff in chapter 11. Royai
1. Restless

Fever

Disclaimer: That's right, I don't own 'em.

Author's Note: Please don't think Riza's out of character. I promise I have a defense. Everyone gets restless and feels like they need to do something different every once in a while and I mean EVERYONE. Sometimes people just need to get out and experience a little variety in their routines, that's why for example people go out to eat every once in a while. Please, just understand that people's moods and attitudes are variables—they change like the weather. She's not out of character, she's just restless…hence the name of the first chapter:

Chapter 1- Restless

Riza sat at her desk idly. This was rare for her…she never just sat there. It wasn't that she didn't have anything to do…far from it. She actually had quite a lot to do, but for some reason she couldn't concentrate. She felt restless. She lifted her eyes from her work and studied her comrades. Havoc had just left…something about needing a smoke break…Riza sneered at the thought, since when did he need to leave for a smoke break? Most likely he just wanted an excuse to walk by the cute new secretary. Breda was also gone…he most presumably went to the bathroom. Fury had been called away to help the new secretary with her typewriter…Riza smiled, even if Havoc had tried to strike up a conversation with the new girl, she would probably brush him off while she was trying to get her typewriter fixed. Riza's eyes roamed around the room. The only person left other than herself was Colonel Mustang. She silently studied his form. His hair fell in his eyes as he hunched diligently over his paperwork. She raised an eyebrow. '_Did we switch bodies today? He's usually the one that can't seem to stay on his work._' The feeling of restlessness washed back over her, and she looked back at the clock- 5:30…she still had a half hour left. She looked back at the orderly papers stacked on her desk. Irritated she let out a loud sigh.

"Something wrong Hawkeye?" Mustang asked, not looking up from his work. The sound of his voice snapped her to attention, "No, sir." She replied rapidly. There was something in her voice that made him look up at her. He studied her features. Her brow was furrowed and her arms were crossed…as if she was having a staring contest with her paper work. It really wasn't like her…usually by now she was already done with her work and was trying to get him to finish his. He raised his eyebrow at her response, "Are you sure?"

_NO!_ She wanted to scream. _I'm not fine, everything isn't okay!_ She felt like something was just trying to scratch its way out of her skull. She was tired of paperwork, she was tired of being so quiet, of being a perfect little soldier, she was tired of being his babysitter, and most of all she was tired of being unappreciated and unnoticed. Plain and simple, she was tired of the monotony…she needed to break out. She just wanted to be someone else for a while…

She desperately tried to shake the feelings out of her head as she responded, "No sir, everything's fine. Please, continue with your work."

Her response didn't convince him, but he knew Hawkeye well, if she didn't want to tell you something, she wouldn't tell you. Dejectedly, Mustang lowered his head and continued with his paperwork.

The day finished off as quietly as it'd started and Hawkeye began her walk home. She still felt restless, as if insects were making the underside of her skin crawl. She tried to suppress the feeling…but she knew it wouldn't last that long, somehow something needed to happen…she needed to do something. And bottling up these feelings wasn't going to help.

She took a left down Prince Street. She was only a block away from her apartment. As she walked by The Red Herring, the local tavern, a poster caught her eye.

Amateur Hour

10-11 pm

TONIGHT

Walk-Ins Welcome

…maybe she wouldn't have to bottle up these emotions after all. The more she thought about it the more she liked the idea. She only wanted to do something…be someone else for a little while—what better way?

"Sorry Mustang, I can't tonight." Hughes said to his long time friend over the phone. "No, I promised Gracia that I'd take her out tonight…yes…all right, see you later." He finished into the telephone receiver. Hughes was excited to spend a night out with his wife, but he wasn't too crazy about where she was making him go. She wanted to take him to the ballet, definitely not his idea of a great evening out, but it's where she wanted to go and he loved her more than his dislike for the ballet.

Back at Riza's apartment Hawkeye was busy looking for something to wear. She pulled a bright blue dress out of her closet, "No." she said monotone as she put it back. She pulled out a lavender dress, "No…" she replied as she quickly put it back. She then pulled out one of the slinkiest dresses she owned. It was a little black number that was v-necked so sharply down the point of the "v" ended at her naval. She sighed loudly, "No!" Riza crammed the outfit back into the closet.

She turned around blindly and flopped onto the bed. The ceiling fan spun around and around as she stared. "Black Hayate, I have nothing to wear." She said as she sat up to stare at her puppy. He tilted his head and gave her an inquisitive look. Suddenly it came to her. Hawkeye jumped up from the bed like a lightning bolt and ran down the hall. "Please still be there." She said to no one in particular. The door on the left was a hall closet and she ripped the door open as her eyes rapidly skimmed the closet's contents. The yellow hat box at the top of the closet held what she was looking for. Riza had to jump a little to reach it, but it was worth it, she just hoped it still fit…

The music of "The Nutcracker" flowed throughout the theater as the graceful dancers made their way on stage. Gracia sat eagerly on the edge of her seat. Maes slouched in his chair. His bow tie was choking him '_I must really love her a lot to wear this monkey suit._' He thought as he glanced in his wife's direction. His face softened as he watched her stare at the stage with child-like amazement. He did love her, more than life itself…for everything she was, and for everything she wasn't. She wasn't perfect, but it was her flaws that attracted him—she was so perfectly imperfect, it fascinated him. He continued to stare at her and while it seemed only moments to him, suddenly the show was over and he'd been staring at her for almost two hours. He hadn't even noticed the time.

The two walked out of the theater and were met with a blast of cold air. Gracia shivered in the wind. "Honey?" she said. Hughes could hear it in her voice, she was going to ask for something. "…sweetie?" she continued. "I'm a little chilly…and I thought maybe it'd be nice to get a cup of coffee..."

Hughes sighed, "But Gracia all the coffee shops are closed…and besides its just the wind that's making you a little chilly. You can have my jacket and-"

"Maes…please? I'm sure there's someplace still open…"

He glanced at his watch—10:30, "Well the only place I can think of is The Red Herring…but that's not really—"

"Great lets go!" she interrupted as she grabbed his arm and marched off in the direction of The Red Herring.

* * *

I hope Gracia wasn't too out of character. I've only seen one episode with her, and she didn't make much of an appearance. By the way, anyone that can tell me what a "red herring" is (other than a food) earns a cookie. 


	2. Butterflies

Fever

Disclaimer: That's right, I don't own 'em.

Chapter 2- Butterflies

Riza stood backstage nervously. Butterflies pressed against the walls of her stomach. For the first time in a week she was actually enjoying herself, even though she was a little nervous. She was terrified, but it felt good. Not only did she feel good, but she looked good. She looked at herself in the full length mirror backstage. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulders; it was nice to finally get it out of that clip. She had been surprised the dress she was wearing still fit. She'd had it for years and she'd only worn it once. The dress was strapless and red. It was short and it barely reached mid thigh. The bottom of the dress had two frills at the bottom, making the bottom of the dress flounce out a bit. She remembered the first time she'd worn it, it was back during her last year of school. A boy she knew wanted to empress a girl he liked by learning the salsa, but he didn't have a partner to learn it with. After about two days of begging Riza, she finally gave in…though she almost pulled out of the deal when she found out she was going to have to wear a dress.. Eventually she'd given in to that too, but on the condition that he bought the dress. Ironically, he'd done a pretty good job at picking it out and Riza looked fabulous. 'It still looks good 10 years later.' She was jarred out of her reverie by a hand on her bare shoulder.

"Ma'am?" the stagehand said, "You're on in ten minutes."

She gave him a silent nod. She was pleased that she hadn't given the people her name-she didn't want any of this getting back to the base, she'd never live it down. At first the people wouldn't allow her to go on with out a name, but in the end they gave in to her demands…she wasn't the easiest person to argue with.

10:45, they were going to catch the end of amateur night. Hughes sighed inwardly, he hated amateur night. It was usually filled with karaoke singers and bad magic acts. Out of the whole night they usually only ended up with one decent singer.

"Oh look Maes! It's amateur night! Let's go watch!" Gracia said excitedly.

'Apparently she's never suffered through amateur night before!' he was about to tell her no, but when he looked into those big blue eyes he just didn't have the heart. He put on a brave face and a smile and said, "Why not?" 'Besides, it's only 15 minutes.'.

The couple walked inside and Gracia sat at a floor table close to the stage. Maes waved a waiter over and ordered two coffees. One act was just finishing. He had apparently been a magician. He wasn't very organized because as he was trying to go off stage several rabbits jumped out of his pants leg and started to hop toward the opposite side of the stage. Thankfully on of the stage hands caught the stray rabbits and helped the man off with the rest of his things. Finally the manager of the club came out. He was a short round man with a bald head and many rings on his left hand. He conducted the stage as if he was a circus ringleader. 'I suppose you'd have to be a ringleader to master a circus like amateur night!' Maes thought to himself.

"All right ladies and gents! Give this pretty little lady a hand; it's her first time coming out here on amateur night. I hear she's got a sweet little jazzy number she wants to sing to you, so give this little lady a hand!" The manager said. The audience clapped weakly and the lights went out. When they came back up a beautiful blonde in a short red dress stood on stage holding a microphone in her hands. Maes had to blink twice because he couldn't believe what he was seeing…Riza Hawkeye was standing on stage and she actually looked like she was going to sing!

* * *

Having trouble visualizing the dress? No prob. You can see what the dress looks like by copying and pasting this-

http/ www. deviantart. com/ deviation/ 18600691/ into the address bar (don't forget to take out the spaces)


	3. New Woman

Fever

Disclaimer: That's right, I don't own 'em.

Author's Note: I love love love old music! Give me Sinatra, or Ella Fitzgerald any day. It great music to relax to. I highly suggest some of you try it. There's a song in this chapter (and in up coming chapters) that is sung by Ella Fitzgerald and like my disclaimer says "I don't own it".

az4ever: Comment and you shall recieve ;) ShadowShard: throws home-made chocolate chip cookies Hurray for big vocabularies! heart of flame: tosses some cookies your way Yay! I remember that show. I hated it too. Freddy was the most annoying with his little "Red Herring" accusations. 

Chapter 3- New Woman

The lights on the stage were bright. So bright in fact the audience was completely shadowed from Riza's view…it was so dark in the audience that Riza couldn't even tell if there was anyone in the house. An empty room. Suddenly any butterflies she had were gone. The jazzy, seductive music began to play and all traces of the old, dull Hawkeye melted away and a brand new woman exposed herself.

"_Never know how much I love you  
Never know how much I care  
When you put your arms around me  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear_" Riza sang seductively. With every lyric she became someone else. Someone who was beautiful and knew it. With every note played a little more of her suppressed side came forth.

"_You give me fever  
When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
In the morning  
Fever all through the night_" she continued. The more she sang the more comfortable she was on stage. She began to move around the stage making her presence more substantial.

"_Sun lights up the daytime  
Moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name  
And you know I'm gonna treat you right_" her voice resounded in the room absorbing the small audience into her own little world. Hughes and his wife sat spellbound. '_Who knew Hawkeye had it in her!_' Hughes thought to himself, '_Roy wouldn't believe this!_'

"_You give me fever  
When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
In the morning  
Fever all through the night_

_Everybody's got the fever  
That is something you all know  
Fever isn't such a new thing  
Fever started long ago_

_Romeo loved Juliet  
Juliet she felt the same  
When he put his arms around her,  
He said Julie, baby, you're my flame_." As Riza said it she couldn't help but think of Roy. '_He'd never believe this…he'd never let me live it down!_'

"_Thou givest fever  
When we kisseth  
Fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever, I'm a fire  
Fever, yay, I burn forsooth_

_Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
Had a very mad affair  
When her daddy tried to kill him,  
She said daddy, no, don't you dare  
He gives me fever,  
With his kisses, fever when he holds me tight  
Fever I'm his Missus  
Daddy, won't you treat him right_" Her presence invaded the room and many members of the audience felt the temperature rise.

"_Now you've listened to my story,  
Here's the point that I have made  
Chicks were born to give you fever  
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade  
They give you fever  
When you kiss them  
Fever if you live, you learn  
Fever, till you sizzle_" she lingered on the last word, saving the suspense for the very last line, "_What a lovely way to burn_." The lights dimmed and she disappeared behind the curtain.

When the lights came up Riza seemed to have disappeared as if she'd never been there. For a moment Hughes seriously wondered if the whole thing had been some sort of elaborate dream. He was stunned speechless. Clapping suddenly filled the room as the audience came out of their bewildered spell and jumped to their feet.

"Oh Maes! That was wonderful! I haven't heard a rendition of 'Fever' that good in years!" Gracia said to her husband who was still stunned looking at the stage. When he didn't respond at first she said, "Darling? Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Gracia, did that woman look familiar to you?" he asked never taking his eyes from the stage. He was starting to doubt it'd really been Riza and maybe this new woman had just looked like Roy's subordinate.

"…now that you mention it, she did look a lot like that Lieutenant that works for Roy. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that was her."

"At that Hughes jumped up, "Where are you going?" his wife asked.

"I want to see if that really was Lt. Hawkeye." He said as he walked toward the stage door.

"Well if it is her, tell her I thought she did a wonderful job!" Gracia called after him.

* * *

Never heard this song before? If you want to hear it, please email me. I've got the song on my comp. 


	4. The Lady In Red

Fever

Disclaimer: I still don't own it.

Author's note: Elle Renald is completely fictional (as far as I know and was made up for the purposes of the fic. Think of her as Ella Fitzgerald—she is famous for the time period in the fic). Also, this is back in like 1910, or whatever, so $700 is a lot of money.

Aumi-Chan & Zamnand: More Cookies:)

skyhigh: Yay! People familiar with old music:)

silentstarlight: yes, yes I am. You knwo what's really evil? This entire story is already written. i'm just too evil to upload it all at once--that and the comments help me tweak people in later chapters ;)

Flava Sava, Erin Elric and The Air Alchemist: Ask and you shall recieve:)

Chapter 4 – The Lady in Red

Riza smiled at her reflection in a mirror encircled in light bulbs. She felt wonderful. '_I can't believe they clapped!_' she thought to herself. Protecting Mustang was a thankless and unnoticed job. It felt nice to finally be appreciated for something. '_Maybe I should be someone else more often._' She mused.

"You have a beautiful voice." Someone said behind her.

Riza knew who it was before she even turned around. She turned to face him quickly, praying inwardly that Hughes really wasn't there. He was there though, in the flesh…and complimenting her at that. "I thought that was you on stage," he said. "My wife told me to tell you that you did a wonderful job. Personally I'm inclined to agree with her—you know my wife has good taste." He said with a wink, "After all, she chose yours truly here."

Riza was still so stunned she could barely speak, " How d-did you-"

"Oh, Gracia wanted a cup of coffee, and you happened to walk on stage."

"I-I" she started, desperately trying to find the words. She was never one to stutter, but the entire situation was just too overwhelming. If he told anyone, no one would ever take her seriously again. The office would be hell, people would hum little tunes under their breath and Mustang—'_Oh God! Mustang!_' "Please don't tell the Colonel!"

"Oh why not? You did terrific. I'm sure everyone would love to see it!"

"No! Please don't tell anyone! I'd never live it down." She pleaded, feeling sick at the thought that he'd tell anyone.

Hughes attempted to calm her, "Don't worry Lieutenant, I won't say a word…but I was wondering if you could do me a favor…"

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "What sort of favor?"

"Well you see, Gracia was very impressed with your abilities, and I have yet to get her an anniversary gift, and seeing as how 'Fever' is one of her favorite songs, I was wondering if you'd sing at our anniversary party…" he said as he looked at her hopefully.

Riza thought about it for a moment, she'd already heard about the Lieutenant Colonel's anniversary party, pretty much everyone had—Mustang, of course received an invitation. "No." she replied flatly.

"Why!" he ask desperately.

"I won't make a fool out of myself in front of Mustang."

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten he was coming…"

"Miss? Miss?" The little round manager called to her as he rushed around the corner.

"What do you need?" she asked him curtly. This entire business was becoming more than she'd anticipated and the sooner she was able to settle things with the Lieutenant Colonel, the faster she'd be able to get out of this place and back to her plain, boring life.

"I'm glad I caught you before you left. You see next Friday I'd lined up Elle Renald to sing, but she was forced to cancel on me. You did an amazing job out there tonight…could you possibly fill in for her on Friday?"

What was with people tonight and asking her favors? She was beginning to feel a little like a soccer mom that'd promised to bake cookies for the entire district. Still, being asked to fill in with someone as well known as Elle Renald was flattering. She couldn't help but be a little taken back, after all Elle Renald was her favorite singer. "I don't know what to say…"

"Say you'll do it." Hughes said unexpectedly, for a moment Riza had almost forgotten he was there. Both the manager and Riza looked at him. "It'll be perfect," he continued. "The Red Herring will have an act for Friday night and you can sing for Gracia at the same time!"

Riza continued to stare at him. "I'll pay you," the manager offered, trying hard to convince her. "You'll get $700."

Riza turned to stare at him, her eyes widened. '$_700 for singing!_' It was an insane amount of money for just singing a few songs.

"Please." The two men said in sync.

Riza couldn't say no "…All right." She responded, still a little shocked.

"Wonderful!" the manager said, "I'll start making the promotion posters immediately! …What's your name Miss?"

"No names." She said firmly. "I want to remain anonymous."

"Then what am I supposed to put on the posters?" he asked.

The three sat for a moment, trying to think of some solution. It didn't occur to them until Hughes glanced down at Riza's little red dress. He snapped his fingers in enlightenment. "You could use a stage name! You could call yourself, 'The Lady in Red.'" Riza and the manager both smiled.

"Perfect," the little man said, "I'll start making the posters immediately. Just be sure to wear the same dress on Friday," he told Riza. He turned to walk away, but he stopped for a moment and snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. He turned to her and said, "I'll need you to come back every night this week. We need to choose some songs and do some sound checks. I want to make sure that this show is a smash." Riza only nodded…this whole business, 'The Lady in Red', excited her. This was just what she'd been waiting for lately, she needed a break from the norm—and boy was she getting a break! Not only was she getting a break from the office and military, but she was getting a break from herself.


	5. Red Dress Fantasies

Fever

Disclaimer: Think about it "Fan" fiction. If I owned it, I wouldn't be a fan…I'd be a writer.

Author's note: Its currently 85 degrees _inside my house_, and I think I'm melting…pardon if Roy does a little of the same. ;)

Note to self: don't work on things called "Fever" when its 85 degrees.

Chapter 5 – Red Dress Fantasies

Riza's mood greatly improved over the next week. She was seen smiling and humming little tunes under her breath. Roy couldn't help but smile at her. Her mood was practically contagious. The entire office seemed bright and energetic. Roy couldn't remember the last time she was so happy. It was on Friday that he finally couldn't help himself. "What's got you so happy?" he asked with a smile to his Lieutenant.

She smiled happily at her little secret. "Oh, nothing."

He gave her a sly smirk. "Well that must be some fantastic kind of nothing. You sure you don't have a date or something?"

"The only date I have is with a red dress." She said mysteriously.

Roy raised an eyebrow at her comment, but decided against pushing her for details. '_There's no need to pry_.' he thought, '_Not when she's this happy_.' Her remark played back through his head,_'The only date I have is with a red dress._' He smiled uncontrollably. '_I bet she'd look pretty hot in a--' _he stopped before he allowed himself to finish the thought. '_No, I can't think of her like that. If I start thinking of Hawkeye as more than just a soldier…things could get messy—not like I'd actually fall for a girl like her…so stiff and all, but damn, she'd look hot in—STOP that!_' He tried to get back to his work, but the more Roy tried to not think about her in a red dress, the more he thought about it. Eventually he found himself giving into to a few of the fantasies and actually considering not just how good she'd look, but actually what the dresses looked like and what they'd look like on her. After a while he even started to wonder where she was going in those dresses, first it was places like the movies and clubs, but eventually it became lavish ballrooms. Then the fantasies took on a life of their own and not only was his fantasy-Riza dressing like she never would in work and going places he couldn't usually picture her going, but now she had a date on her arm…and it just wasn't anyone—it was him. Suddenly he was jarred out of his reveries with a hand on his shoulder. "Sir?" He couldn't help but jump a little when he saw that it was Hawkeye speaking. "You were murmuring." She said. "Did you need something?"

He shook his head quickly, "No! I was just thinking." He felt his temperature rise. It was embarrassing enough to be having fantasies about one of his subordinates, but it was even worse being caught by the one he was thinking about. He felt his body burn…especially his shoulder. He felt as if he were about to blush out into a fever.

"All right." She said simply and went back to her desk. He turned back to look at his paperwork, but his mind continued to wander. This time, he made sure it was far away from the fantasy-Rizas he'd cooked up. He glanced at the clock, 5:00. '_Only an hour before me and Hughes hit the town._' Tonight was going to be their night out, and Roy was looking forward to it. It felt like it'd been weeks since he'd seen his friend and he was anxious to play catch-up. Roy glanced over at Riza happily filling out paperwork at her desk. Roy also wanted to ask Hughes if he knew anything about Lieutenant Hawkeye's strange change of disposition…if anyone would know about her reasons, Hughes would. He wasn't in intelligence for nothing.

"Hey Roy!" Hughes said as he stuck his head inside Roy's office. "I'm going have to cancel on you tonight."

"Why!" Roy asked getting slightly annoyed. This was the second time in two weeks. It really wasn't like Hughes.

"I've got a date with a lady in red." He said with a wink. With that said he walked quickly on his way down the hall.

Roy rushed to the door in attempts to get a real answer out of his friend before he left. "I thought your anniversary was next week!" he called down the hall.

"It is." Hughes replied back mysteriously. This was about all Roy could stand. Suddenly Hughes' words echo in his head, '_I've got a date with a lady in red_…' Riza's words followed after, _'The only date I have is with a red dress'_ These couldn't be just a normal coincidence, could they? '_First Hawkeye makes a mention of a red dress,' _Roy thought _'then Hughes cancels on me for the second week in a row for some "Lady in Red"? This is more than a coincidence' _he deduced_, 'Time for a little investigation.'

* * *

_I'd have to say this is one of my favorite chapters...probably because I love how Riza caught him fantasizing about her ;). Until tomorrow.


	6. I Spy

Fever

Disclaimer: If you thought I owned them…you were very wrong.

Author's Note: Enter the conflict

Chapter 6 – I Spy

Hughes wasn't that hard to follow. It was about 7:30 by the time Hughes was finally able to leave the office. Roy followed him to a local club, The Red Herring. Hughes sauntered inside and sat at a table close to the stage. Roy hung back. He didn't want Maes to see he'd been followed. Roy stood at the back wall, just inside the shadows. Part of him felt absolutely ridiculous, '_What am I doing? I mean…this is Hughes. Am I really supposed to believe that he of all people could be cheating on his wife? And with _**MY**_ subordinate no less._' While he felt doubtful, they're comments were just too coincidental for his liking. Something about it being Riza annoyed him all the more. He knew that the idea seemed strange, but somehow he just couldn't get himself to leave…maybe it was all that daydreaming about those fantasy-Rizas of his, but he just couldn't help but feel a little over protective of Hawkeye today.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Gracia and Elycia walked in. Roy couldn't help but feel a little relieved. A small part of him had really been convinced that Maes was cheating on his wife…it really wasn't Hughes' style, _'but still his comment was a little misleading.'_

As Gracia and Elycia walked by Roy overheard Gracia say "Lets see what Daddy's big surprise is!" Mustang couldn't help but notice that neither of them were wearing red…'What could he have meant?' Roy thought to himself. A few more people drifted in and he caught a few snippets of their conversation. "Oh I heard she's got a voice like an angel!...no name…just calls herself The Lady in Red!" Roy smiled '_How could I have been so stupid? There was no secret rendezvous, just a show…_' The wheels in Mustang's head began to turn, '_Riza mentioned the red dress too…I wonder if she could possibly be here too…_' something about that possibility made his spirits lift. He quickly scanned the room. Mostly just couples. Roy felt his mood fall a bit. '_Well…I don't want to ruin Hughes' dinner date…I should probably leave…_' Roy thought as he started toward the door. Suddenly the lights went out and the room was cast in total darkness. '_Well so much for that plan._'

The spotlight turned on, highlighting a little round, bald man on stage. "Ladies and Gents! I'd like to welcome you to The Red Herring. Now tonight we've got a real treat for you. A few of you heard her last week and now she's back for an encore—that blonde bombshell, that vivacious vixen—The Lady in Red!"


	7. Barnum and Bailey World

Fever

Disclaimer: That's right! I still don't own FMA or any of the character…yeah, don't rub it in.

Author's note: I'm sorry for what's coming. I know that I'm pretty much the only person on the planet that still listens to Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and James Darren, but it is supposed to be the 20's…and the music is just so fun. Seriously, if you ever have the opportunity to get any of the songs/CDs for these people, you should. They may surprise you. Also, "Paper Moon" (song) doesn't belong to me. Some parts of the song were left out…cause they were silly. : p

Chapter 7 – Barnum & Bailey World

The audience applauded wildly as the lights flashed out for a moment. The spotlight came back on and standing in the manager's former place was someone Roy could only describe as '_one hell of a knockout_'. "Damn." He said under his breath. "Blonde bombshell is an understatement!"

The music began to play and woman took the microphone from the stand. The music was light and swinging jazz. The woman smiled out into the crowd as she started to sing.

"_Say, its only a paper moon  
Sailing over a cardboard sea  
But it wouldn't be make-believe  
If you believed in me_."

Riza really enjoyed this song. It was a lot of fun to sing…and she really felt that the song fit her situation. She knew that "The Lady in Red" wasn't really real. She knew that after tonight she'd have to go back to her military life, but for a little while these people—this audience, believed that she was "The Lady in Red", and for tonight she was.

"_Yes, it's only a canvas sky  
Hanging over a muslin tree  
But it wouldn't be make-believe  
If you believed in me_"

Roy couldn't take his eyes off her, she looked amazing…beautiful. '_Who is she?_' He wondered. He felt like he knew her somehow…_'but that's impossible. If I knew _**her**_, I'd _**know**!' she smiled as if she heard his thought. _'I have to meet her_.'

"_It's a Barnum and Bailey world  
Just as phony as it can be  
But it wouldn't be make-believe  
If you believed in me_"

"_Say, its only a paper moon  
Sailing over a cardboard sea  
But it wouldn't be make-believe  
If you believed in me_."

She ended the song with a smile. The lights shown on her brightly and it was hard to see anyone in the audience. The only people she could make out in the crowd were the people at the tables closest to the stage. She smiled as she noticed Hughes and his family right up front.

When the audience had finished clapping and the room was quiet again the woman spoke out in a voice all too familiar to Roy. "All right everyone, I'm going to bring things down a notch or two before dinner with a song that's close to my heart." '_Hawkeye!_' Roy thought wildly. He squinted at the stage…_'No!...it couldn't be…there's no way my first Lieutenant is actually on stage, singing to a crowd of people!' _But the more he looked at her the more she looked like Riza…a more relaxed Riza…a Riza that he'd like to get to know more closely. '_She was right about one thing' he thought. 'It is a Barnum and Bailey world. Just as phony as it can be!_'

* * *

I've also got this song on my comp if anyone would like to hear it. Just email me. 


	8. Close to the Heart

Fever

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Another song is in this one...and I don't own it either. It's called "Why was I born?" And I don't have it on my comp : (

Chapter 8 – Close to the Heart

The next song started. The song had a slow tempo, and was primarily piano. A sad expression played about Riza's face as she started to sing.

"_Spending these lonesome evenings  
With nothing to do  
But to live in dreams that I make up  
All by myself"_

_"Dreaming that you're beside me  
I picture the prettiest stories  
Only to wake up  
All by myself  
What is the good of me by myself?_"

Riza's mood began to drop as she started singing. This song was more personal that the last. She hadn't originally wanted to sing it, but the manager had pushed her to pick a slower song. This song played her emotions like piano keys. The more she sang, the more she wished a certain someone was listening.

"_Why was I born  
Why am I living  
What do I get  
What am I giving"_

_"Why do I want a thing  
I daren't hope for  
What can I hope for  
I wish I knew_"

Riza watched him day in and day out, giving him everything he needed, but she couldn't help but want, couldn't help but wish, that he'd give her something in return…more than a sly smirk…more than just a few kind words here and there. She never asked for much, but some days she wished Roy would look at her more than just a soldier…the song was beginning to get to her. Her throat tightened and she forced herself to look at the back of the room, it was easier to sing if she didn't have to see Hughes' face. '_I wonder if Maes knows why this song is close to my heart…_' she wondered absentmindedly.

"_Why do I try  
To draw you near me  
Why do I do I cry  
You never hear me"_

_"I'm a poor fool  
But what can I do  
Why was I born  
To love you_"

Roy froze where he stood. Riza was staring holes through him. He felt like she was singing to him. '_Is that how she really feels?_' he asked himself, _'Have I really been so blind to her?'_ Suddenly his more rational side took over, _'No. This is only a song…nothing more.'_ He thought trying to convince himself, but something in her voice made him think there was more to this ordeal than he realized.

A short bridge in the music began and Riza couldn't resist looking at Hughes any longer. She glanced down at her friend. His eyes burned with understanding. Within one moment their eyes made a silent exchange.

'_You won't tell him will you?_' Her eyes asked.

_'Your secret's safe with me._' He replied. A small smile played on her lips as she started into the final stanza.

"_I'm a poor fool  
But what can I do  
Why was I born  
To love you_"

The song ended and the lights dimmed and just like that she was gone. Roy's eyes searched furiously in the dark. '_It can't be over!'_ he screamed inside his head. He was just beginning to really love seeing her like this.


	9. Bar Talk

Fever

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Doesn't it seem that all bartenders are named "Sam"?

Chapter 9 – Bar Talk

The lights came back up and the manager appeared on stage. "All right Ladies and Gents we're stopping for a little while so some of yous can get some grub—but don't worry The Lady in Red will be back within the hour." He gave the audience a quick wink and trotted off stage.

Roy wandered over to the bar. His emotions were a jumble. '_The world has gone completely mad_.' He thought to himself. '_My Lieutenant has suddenly become the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and not only did I not know that she could sing, I wasn't even invited!_'

"What's troubling you, friend?" The bartender said to Roy.

Roy looked up at the barkeeper. The Colonel glanced at the man's name tag, it read 'Sam'. "Well '_Sam'_" he started. "I've just realized that the most beautiful woman in the world has been in the palm of my hand the whole time."

"So you know The Lady in Red personally, huh?" he responded

Roy's mouth hung open, "How'd you know I was talking about her?"

Sam gave him a sly smile. "Sir, I've seen a lot of broads in my day…in fact I've seen some drop dead gorgeous dames, but I've never seen anyone like her. Day in and day out I listen to men tell me about the women they love, and the women they hate, and if there's two things I know about, it's men and women. Besides, the way you were staring at her on stage, it doesn't take a genius to know who you're talking about."

Roy blushed slightly, "I wish I knew something about all this. Until she walked on stage, I didn't even know she could sing."

"Boy can she sing though. I've been working over time all week just so I could see her. I even got to talk to her a bit."

Roy's head perked up, "What'd she say?"

"Usually 'No'." he said.

"No?" Roy questioned.

"Yeah, 'No, I don't want a drink.', 'No, I don't want to go out with you.', 'No, I don't want to tell you my name.'" Sam filled in. "I kept asking her out and she kept turning me down."

Roy was inwardly relieved. This man seemed fairly nice, but now that he was seeing this side of Riza he wasn't too sure he was willing to let go of her. "Did she ever give a reason?"

Sam put on that sly smile again, "I _did _ask her one day, if she had a beau, or if she just wasn't interested. She smiled at me and said, 'Sam, I could only hope to call him mine…but I'm sorry to say that he probably doesn't even notice I'm a woman. I'd probably have to walk into work in a mini skirt before he knew I was there.'" Roy couldn't speak…maybe it wasn't just a song after all. Sam continued, "She was talking about you wasn't she?" Roy struggled to play the remark off casually.

He leaned back on the stool, "I wouldn't know…she doesn't really talk. It's crazy you know. I can't hardly get her to say a word at work…but she gets here and sings like a canary on stage in front of 40 people." Roy paused for a moment. "How is it that I had the most beautiful woman in the world in the palm of my hand and I never saw her?"

"People often have trouble seeing what's in front of their faces. You know what they say, you can't see the forest because of all the trees. All I can say is that if I had a woman like that 'just sitting in the palm of my hand', I'd close my hand. Only an idiot would let someone like that get away." Sam noticed another customer at the end of the bar and walked over to help him. Roy thought about what the man had said. Would he really be an idiot to let her go? If that was true—how do you catch someone like Hawkeye?


	10. Fever

Fever

Author's note: You may think it's strange that Riza is allowing the Manager to call her all these nicknames, but she doesn't really say anything to him about it because she knows he has nothing else to call her, and she doesn't want to have to reveal her name. And like I said earlier I don't own this song. Also because I couldn't update the past couple of days I'm rewarding you that waited w/ three chapters today ;)

Outsane: I'm glad you're getting into it. Chapter 11 is my favorite, so stay tuned ;)

Heart of Flame: Oh he will! ;)

Kwala: It's gonna get a lot more awkward believe me! Fading wind: Yay a convert!

Isabel M: (1)Mustang's crew doesn't get enough screen time! They seriously need more love, especially Fuery because he's cuddly! Don't worry, I didn't for get about them totally, they get a little action in an upcoming chapter.  
(2)I know you're not crazy about the barman thing, but I needed Sam there to show that when Riza is "The Lady in Red" she's not so closed off. She was at the bar every night that week, I wanted to show that she can open up to someone and actually make friends if she wants. Think about it this way, every night she went there, and every night she practiced. Eventually, she'd take a break, maybe need a cup of water. So I figure she headed over to the bar and Sam being the nice guy he is would chat with her. Like Sam said, "_I've seen a lot of broads in my day…in fact I've seen some drop dead gorgeous dames, but I've never seen anyone like her."_ Naturally he'd want to get to know her, maybe take her out.  
(3)As for Roy opening up to him, he really didn't. Roy only said "_I've just realized that the most beautiful woman in the world has been in the palm of my hand the whole time"_ He wasn't expecting Sam to pick up on what he was thinking/saying. I know you didn't exactly want him to chat up with the barkeep, but what did you expect him to do? Stare at his shoelaces until she came back on? Besides, Sam plays a small part later and I wanted to establish him as a character.  
(4)I'm not surprised that you can probably predict the ending already. I would be able to too. This fic was really intended to be like a page and a half of pure fluff…and it got out of hand ; . Don't worry so much about the predictability. It might be a little predictable, but along the way I might be able to toss you a few curve balls ;)

Chapter 10 – Fever

Riza was on fire. She felt her skin was boiling from the hot lights. It was much cooler backstage. A stage hand brought her a glass of water. "Thank you" she said to him. He simply bowed and went on about his business. She looked up from her water to see the manager rushing over to her. "They're eating your act up!"  
She smiled. "I'm glad."  
"Just some friendly advice sweet cheeks, for your next number…I'd like you to move around more."  
"But I moved around in my first two—"  
"I know, I know, but for 'Fever' I'd really like you to really move. You know, get out into the crowd—really spice things up."  
"But we never practiced—"  
"Don't worry about practicing, just roll with the punches baby doll." He said reassuring her. She nodded uncertainly, and butterflies appeared in her stomach. "Great," he replied, smiling "You're on in 10. Knock 'em dead gorgeous.' 

The lights went out and the crowd cheered loudly in anticipation. Roy took his place at the back of the room. Somewhere in the dark Riza's voice rang out loud and clear, "This next number is for someone really special…you know who you are." Roy's face flushed…could she be talking to him?  
At the front of the room Hughes put his arm around his wife and whispered in her ear. "This is for you."  
A light came on behind the curtain, creating a silhouette of the woman on stage. The silhouette began to snap her fingers and seductive music started to accompany her. The lights gently faded on and she started to sing.

_"Never know how much I love you  
Never know how much I care  
When you put your arms around me  
I get a fever that's so hard to bear"_

She was just as stunning the second time. Her voice was seductive, sexy. He felt like she was singing straight to him, and as far as he knew, she was. The whole thing left him breathless.

_"You give me fever  
When you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
in the morning  
Fever all through the night"_ Riza could feel her confidence growing, and it showed. The manager had clipped a small cordless microphone to the top of her strapless dress, in place of the large microphone. This way she was free to move around the crowd. She started to move down the side stairs and into the crowd.

_"Sun lights up the daytime  
Moon lights up the night  
I light up when you call my name  
and you know I'm gonna treat you right"_

_'It's true' _Mustang realized…everything she was saying was true. She really did light up when he was around. This entire show seemed aimed at him, but how did she even know he was here? He wasn't invited to this little shindig. Suddenly the "truth" dawned on him. _ 'They planned this all along!' _ He thought _ 'Hughes, Riza, Sam—this was all a set up! They wanted me to follow Maes here, they wanted me to see this show! This was all a plan to let her tell me how she feels without actually telling me!' _ He smiled devilishly, everything suddenly made sense.

_"You give me fever  
when you kiss me  
Fever when you hold me tight  
Fever  
in the morning  
Fever all through the night"_ She sang as she made her way through the crowd toward Maes, Gracia and Elysia. The crowd loved it. Most of them were snapping their fingers. Riza couldn't help but smile. She felt on top of the world.

_"Everybody's got the fever"_ she sang, as she circled Gracia and Elysia. "That is something you all know" she sang a few words to Hughes and began working her way to the back. _ "Fever isn't such a new thing  
Fever started long ago"_ she was about halfway to where Roy was standing when she started into the next stanza, _ "Romeo loved Juliet  
Juliet she felt the same"_ she sang to a young couple. She was barely three feet away from Roy and she didn't even know it. The spotlight had been following her this whole time and it was hard to see anyone that was outside the circle of light. She walked backwards a few steps away from the couple and continued singing. _"When he put his arms around her, He said Julie, baby, you're my—"_ Riza was surprised to have walked backwards into something—well, not something exactly…more like someone. The word _"flame"_ had time to slip out of her mouth as she turned around to face none other than the Flame Alchemist.

* * *

I am evil ;) 


	11. Remain Calm

Fever

Author's Note: Toward the end of this chapter things get a little risqué.

Chapter 11 – Remain Calm

Riza was surprised to have walked backwards into something—well, not something exactly…more like someone. The word _"flame"_ had time to slip out of her mouth as she turned around to face none other than the Flame Alchemist.  
In that moment, Riza's entire world had time to collapse in on itself, and rebuild itself back up from scratch. For a moment, she almost screamed, but she caught herself just in time. Her rational side took over, _'Remain calm. You're still the Lady in Red, and you have a job to do.'_ She told herself inwardly. She listened to the music, she'd only lost a few beats in her song, and if she timed it right no one would noticed she had to drop a few lines. She began singing again, straight to Roy.   
_"Fever with thy flaming youth  
Fever, I'm a fire  
Fever, yay, I burn forsooth"_

No one in the crowd even noticed her pause…well almost no one. When Riza had turned to see Roy, he suddenly realized how wrong he'd been. No one had planned this for him…he wasn't even supposed to be there. He could see it now. When she'd turned around he gave her his trademark smirk, but the look in her eyes quickly wiped it off his face. Her eyes shrieked out in surprise, and now that she'd started singing again they were staring daggers at him. _'If looks could kill…'_ he thought.  
She continued to sing to him, her eyes filling with hatred and embarrassment, and he was the only one that could see it. Everyone else in the room assumed her bumping into the man and singing to him was part of the act.

_"Captain Smith and Pocahontas  
Had a very mad affair  
When her daddy tried to kill him,  
She said daddy, no, don't you dare  
He gives me fever,  
With his kisses, fever when he holds me tight  
Fever I'm his Missus.  
Daddy, won't you treat him right"_ As she sang to her colonel she began circling him. Her odium and mortification burned stronger with every pass. This was her last stanza; she wanted to do something to make him feel as stupid as he made her feel. An idea sparked in her head. She stopped circling him and turned to face him. She set her eyes on him and slowly and seductively walked toward him. If Roy didn't know better, he would have thought that she was going to kiss him…but the remembrance of those eyes—so angry, he knew that couldn't be her plan. She was still walking towards him, never missing a beat, _"Now you've listened to my story,  
Here's the point that I have made"._ She was within a hair's breath of him. Suddenly she turned her back to him, and leaned her body against his. He could smell her scent and feel her hand searching for his, _"Chicks were born to give you fever"_ she continued to sing. She found his hand and guided it down the side of her stomach to her hips. _ "Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade."_ Roy could feel himself blush, and he knew his nose was going to start bleeding any second. Her body felt so good in his arms, he couldn't believe he was holding her—or that she was actually encouraging him to hold her. A fleeting thought passed through his memory, _ 'There's gotta be something wrong…she'd never let me do this.'_ Oh how right he was.  
_"They give you fever. When you kiss them"_ she continued as she turned to face him, her body pressed forcefully against his. _ "Fever if you live, you learn."_ She pulled his collar making his face come closer to hers. He could feel her breath on his lips, as she kept singing, _"Fever, till you sizzle"._ Suddenly she let go of him, and paused just before she finished the song _"What a lovely way to burn"._ Riza's eyes once again filled with hatred as she shoved him away from her as she said the word _ 'burn'._ He was off balance, and hadn't been expecting it. Naturally he fell right on his ass in front of everyone. The room filled with applause—everyone else just assumed it was part of the show.

* * *

I have to say I really enjoyed the little bit in the end. Please don't say its out of character, Riza is still recognizing herself as The Lady in Red and she knows that she has a show to put on. She's not out of character, she's acting. If you're interested in fan art I did a pic for this chapter -> http/ www. deviantart. com/ deviation/ 18939383/ (take out the spaces) I can't promise it's great, but its not too bad ;)  



	12. Doing the After Math

Fever

Author's Note: Having fun? I am!

Chapter 12 – Doing the After Math

As the lights blinked out, Riza made a run for it. She quickly disappeared backstage leaving Roy still sitting on the floor, not quite sure about what had happened. As quickly as possible she collected her coat and walked out the back door. The house lights came up and everyone started talking at once, most were making comments about how amazing that last number was. Hughes jumped up from his seat and rushed over to Roy who'd just stood up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.  
"Well apparently I'm getting knocked on my ass." Mustang replied annoyed.  
"Don't be a wise ass. What did you think you were doing?" Maes said.  
"I thought I was making sure you weren't cheating on your wife. That is until my Lieutenant walked on stage. Why didn't you tell me she could sing!"  
"Why didn't I tell you! I didn't tell you because I knew she'd put a hole through my head if I did!" Suddenly it dawned on Hughes, "Oh God, she's going to think I told you. Oh my God! She's going to kill me. I promised her you wouldn't come and now you're here and she knows-"  
"Stop it!" Mustang said, interrupting Hughes' panic attack. "Just take a deep breath. We'll figure a way out of this."  
"Yeah…you're right. Maybe it won't be so bad…besides, she didn't look too mad." Hughes said, beginning to feel a little better.  
"She might not have looked too mad from your end, but from where I was standing she wasn't too happy."

As Riza left through the back door a blast of cold air hit her. She shivered in the night and goosebumps covered her bare legs. She tried to walk quickly back to her apartment. Every step made her hate herself even more. _ 'What the hell was I thinking? I should have just stayed home. Lady in Red…I've got to be the biggest idiot in the world. And what's worse is that I paraded my freak show in front my superior. With Mustang's motor mouth my little demonstration will be front page news before 6 am.' _ Riza's eyes burned. "No one will take me seriously again." She said to herself. Suddenly her Lady in Red self began to wear off and the Lieutenant Hawkeye in her came back to the forefront. _ 'It's not totally my fault. Hughes must have told Mustang about this little show. If it weren't for the two of them I wouldn't have this problem.'_ Her anger at the two of them burned. _ 'They'll pay for making me look like an idiot.'_


	13. The Best Laid Plans

Fever

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I know that Riza seems a bit out of character toward the end of the chapter, but believe me you'd be just as pissed off if the same thing happened to you. People get really paranoid and very moody when they think the world is against them.

Zamnandi - Yay! I'm glad someone understands. You should see the Teen Titan's section. Anyone that writes a Raven fic always makes her practically suicidal, while she's not sad, she just isn't able to express her emotions. :P

Scar's fangurl: blushes thanks ;)

Chapter 13 – The Best Laid Plans

It was good that Riza's little show was on Friday, it gave Hughes and Mustang a few days to scheme a way to keep her from shooting them on sight. Hawkeye was a proud person, and something like this was more than an injury to her pride…it was personal. This couldn't be fixed with a little 'I'm sorry'. This needed more…

"I don't know about this Hughes…" Roy said uncertainly. The plan they'd worked out was pretty good, but there was humiliation involved and he wasn't too sure he wanted to participate. Particularly because it involved humiliating himself.

"Look, if you want to make this up to her it's going to take a lot more than an little apology, besides Gracia said that'd it'd work." Hughes said trying to help convince his friend.

"Wait, you said that this was your plan."

Hughes shrugged, "My plan, her plan, whatever. As long as it works, who cares?"

Mustang threw his friend an unsure look. "All right. What do we have to do first?"

Hughes smiled. "Well we know that Hawkeye left without being paid, so she'll want the money…especially after Black Hayate suddenly needs surgery that will incidentally cost exactly $700."

"But I don't want to hurt Hayate-"

"Don't worry Roy, we won't. We're just going to give him a little something to get him to throw up a bit. I've already worked it out with my friend over at the vet's office. When she brings Black Hayate in, the vet will just tell her that he needs surgery. After that she'll have no choice but to go back to the club and get the money."

"What are we going to give him?" Mustang asked.

"You leave that to me. I'll make sure she gets where she needs to be, when she needs to be there. You just make sure you rest those pipes, my little canary." Hughes said with a wink. Mustang could feel it already…this was going to be a long week.

Monday morning rolled around and the entire office was more quiet than usual. Hawkeye could only imagine it was because they were all laughing at her behind her back. She wasn't usually this paranoid, but humiliation can do that to a person. Roy walked in a few minutes late. Usually she would have scolded him, but she refused to even look at him. Roy looked at Hawkeye in the silence. Even with her brow furrowed and her negative mood radiating into the room, he still couldn't help but admire her. She was beautiful. '_Why did I never see it before?_' he wondered again. It was something he'd been asking himself a lot over the past few days…ever since he'd heard her sing. Now every time he saw her, he wasn't seeing just a soldier, he saw a woman that was beautiful and capable. Every time he looked at her, no matter what horrible stare she was throwing him, he couldn't help but smile as he thought back to that night when he got to see a real fantasy Riza. As much as he hated to admit it, he was falling for her…which was one more reason that he had to make her forgive him for this whole mess.

She wished he wouldn't stare at her like that. That ridiculous smile made it hard for her to hate him. Usually she would have just thought that he was mocking her, but something behind that smile made him look so goofy she just couldn't hate him. '_I sound like one of those stupid bimbos he dates_.' The thought only made her hate herself even more. It continued that way all day. She refused to look at him, and only obeyed his orders if they could be carried out without speaking to him. Finally around 4:00 Mustang couldn't stand it anymore. He chose his time wisely, making sure everyone was gone.

"I didn't tell anyone." He said, breaking the silence.

'_Sure you didn't_.' she replied in her head, '_you didn't tell just anyone, you probably told everyone!_'

"Come on Hawkeye…talk to me." He said. He wasn't quite pleading, he was still a little too proud for that. He threw her one of his trademark smirks, "You know you want to."

Hawkeye looked up at him. There was no mistaking what she was thinking, _'DROP DEAD._' Roy backed off a bit. He'd pushed her a little too far with that last remark. He quickly tried to make up for it. "I thought you did really well. I liked your last song the best." She continued to ignore him and pretended to read a report. "Fever has always been one of my favorite songs." When she didn't look at him, or pull out her gun, he gave up. There really _was_ only one way to make this up to her…

The week dragged on and eventually everyone began to notice the tension between the colonel and his lieutenant. Havoc and Breda made a few bets on what they were fighting about. Fuery on the other hand actually tried to patch things up between the two. '_Flowers will fix just about anything_.' He thought as he laid a rose on Hawkeye's desk Friday morning. Hawkeye strolled in moments later. Her heart jumped as she saw the rose laying on her desk. Cautiously, she walked over to it and opened the card that Fuery had tied to the rose. It was short and sweet and to the point.

"_Riza, I'm sorry. For everything. Please forgive me._

_Roy"_

The last few days had been fairly calm and she was actually beginning to forgive Roy and Hughes. It didn't seem as if they'd actually told anyone, but she couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the words in the note. '_Roy, asking for forgiveness? That's not his style._' Annoyed she threw the rose and the note in the trash. '_Roy wouldn't ask forgiveness from God!_' Unfortunately for Roy, he took just that moment to walk in. Still irritated, Riza couldn't keep her silence any longer. "You know, it would have been more effective if you were actually being sincere!" she said meaning the rose and the letter.

"I was being sincere!" Roy said, completely taken off guard. Naturally he thought she was talking about their conversation on Monday.

"Ugh! You make me sick. You think you can throw around that stupid charm, and a few roses and you think everything will be _all better_. Think again. I'm not like your little girlfriends. I don't fall for that fake bullshit you like to spread around." Riza said, completely losing her cool. She couldn't remember the last time she'd broken ranks so forwardly. She was never like this, but just the fact that she was having to spend all day locked in an office with someone that had completely humiliated her—well it was finally starting to really take it's toll. Especially considering it seemed that he wasn't even really sorry…she didn't need mockery right now. "Couldn't you just let it go?"

"Me let it go? Me? I wasn't the one that strolled in here kicking and screaming about being insincere!" Roy yelled back at her. '_What the hell is wrong with her?_'

Hawkeye's eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed. "I'm taking the day off. If I have to spend one more moment in a room with you, I know I'll do something **_you'll_** regret." She said as she stormed out of the office. The door slammed soundly leaving the men stunned. "What did you **_do_**?" Havoc said directing everyone's attention to Mustang.

"Nothing!" Roy said, defending himself. "I haven't even said anything to her since Monday!" Fuery uncomfortably shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Cautiously he cleared his throat. Everyone's eyes slowly turned to him. "Fuery?" Roy said warily.

"Flowers will fix just about anything…?" Fuery offered guiltily. "I was trying to help."

"I think you just helped me right into my grave." Roy said massaging his temples. Silently Roy tried to reassure himself. '_Don't worry, you've still got an ace up your sleeve…hopefully._'


	14. Sick Day

Fever

Author's note: …Yeah, I'm not really crazy about this chapter

Chapter 14 – Sick Day

Riza slammed the door to her house so hard the candle sticks on the table shook. "UGH!" she raged. "Goddamn it I hate that man! First Hughes and him humiliate me and then he tries to make it up to me with-with mock flattery and a lame note!" She was so mad she was stuttering. This entire thing had been a major blow to her pride and everything Mustang did just seemed to kick her when she was down. Her anger was actually helping one person in this situation, and that was Hughes. He'd chosen this morning to give Black Hayate something to make him throw up…he didn't think that Hawkeye would be back so early in the day. Lucky for him she was so angry when she got home she didn't notice him sneaking out her back door. While she'd interrupted him, Hughes had been able to give just enough of the concoction to Hayate that his plan would still work.

Riza collapsed on her couch in a lump. Hatred could take a lot out of a person. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a day off and now she didn't really know what to do with herself. She laid there for a little while, but after a time she noticed something was wrong. Black Hayate was usually the first thing she saw when she walked in the door, and she'd been home for nearly 30 minutes and she hadn't seen him once. It was then she noticed the noise, it was sort of a gurgling, whining sound. Cautiously Hawkeye pulled out one of her guns and cocked it as she got off the couch. The noise seemed to be coming from the kitchen. She thrust open the door and burst into the room to find, not an intruder, but her dog. Black Hayate was lying on his side trembling and whimpering. Immediately she put away her gun and tended to her pet. "What's wrong?" she asked as she stroked the animal's brow, "You okay boy?" Her only answer was a hacking sound and a good amount of doggie puke right into her open hand. '_Great. This day just keeps getting better_.' she thought bitterly. Hawkeye wiped some of the substance off her hand and went to fetch the doggie carrier. It looked like she was going to have a busier day off than she thought.

"What is it? What's wrong with him?" Hawkeye asked, concern flowing into her voice. She wasn't usually emotional, but Black Hayate was one of the few people-err things that she was close to, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Well," the vet said removing his gloves, "I'm sorry to say its quite serious. Your dog has contracted a very rare virus called Monie-nucleitius."

Riza raised an eyebrow, "Monie-nucleitius? That doesn't sound like any kind of disease I've heard of-"

"I _said _it was _rare_." The vet said, annoyance slipping into his voice.

"But that doesn't really sound like-"

"Who's the vet here? You or me? I say its Monie-nucleitius, and its Monie-nucleitius."

Hawkeye backed off a bit, "Ok, ok. What do I need to do?"

"Well there's not much you can do. I mean we can perform a surgery that'll clear it right up…but it'll cost a good bit." The vet said.

Hawkeye started to have doubts. She didn't have that much money to throw around and she knew that just this visit was going to cost more than she could afford. "How much?"

"$700."

Hawkeye's heart dropped. She didn't have that kind of money, and she wasn't getting paid for another few weeks. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to come up with a way to make the payment. '_Maybe he'll let me do it in installments…_' "Is there a way I could pay that on some sort of payment plan?"

"I don't think so." The vet said. '_Hughes owes me big for this.' _He thought to himself._ 'Monie-nucleitius…HA! I can't believe this woman believes me. I must be one hell of an actor.'_

"What'll happen if he doesn't get the surgery?" She asked tentatively.

"It'll be terminal." The vet said, he fought to keep himself from smiling.

A lump formed at the back of her throat, the thought of losing Black Hayate was devastating. He was always there for her, a kind ear when she needed one…he was a friend that didn't ask for more than a scratch behind the ears and a bowl of food. "I'll get you the money. I'm not sure how, but I'll find a way."

"All right." He replied, "I'll keep your dog here until we can get him ready for surgery."

"Okay." She said. She turned to leave, but she stopped short of the door. Riza looked back over her shoulder at her dog. He looked up at her with big brown eyes and she couldn't help but she kiss him on top of his head and scratched him behind his ears before she left. "I'll be back soon, boy."


	15. Coincedental Miracles

Fever

Author's note: You know, I never intended for this fic to be this long…

Chapter 15 – Coincidental Miracles

"Where am I going to get $700?" she ask herself as she paced her living room. "I've only got $300 in savings and even with my paycheck in two weeks I still wouldn't be able to make up that kind of money." She continued to pace. "I'm going to have to borrow from someone…" she said, the thought made her sick. "The only person I could really ask would be Mustang—and after that show I gave him this morning there's no way he'd help me…" Riza couldn't help but feel like her back was against the wall. "Maybe Hughes…" _'No! He's got a family to support. I couldn't possibly ask him to give me money.'_ "Then what am I going to do?" Just then there was a knock at the door.

Riza opened the door quickly, and was surprised to see that it was Hughes on the other side. "What'd you want?" she said, not meaning to sound rude.

"I came by to drop off some paperwork." Hughes said handing her a folder. "Roy was too afraid to do it himself." He finished smiling.

"Oh, thank you." She said off hand, her mind was still on Black Hayate.

"Something bothering you Lieutenant?" Hughes asked. He could hardly keep the smile from his face. Of course he knew what was bothering her, he was the one that'd set it up, it was just a good thing _she_ didn't know that.

"Black Hayate's sick." She said, she left out the money issues on purpose. Even if she was mad at Hughes for what he'd done to her in the Red Herring she knew him well enough to know that if she mentioned her money troubles, he'd try to help.

"Oh, that's too bad. Is it serious?" Hughes said, stringing her along. '_Come on Hawkeye, give me and opening to remind you about the money._'

"Yes, I'm afraid so…he needs surgery."

"Oh that's too bad." Hughes said, "Surgery can be pretty expensive, especially for pets."

"Yes, I know…$700." Hawkeye said, looking at the floor.

"$700, huh? Wow, then I guess its lucky that you got paid that much at the club last week." Hughes filled in, '_I've got you right where I want you. This couldn't be going better if you were reading from a script_.'

Hawkeye's head perked up. "What'd you say?"

'_Oh my God, look innocent Hughes'_ he thought to himself, "I said 'I guess it's lucky that you got paid $700 last week at the club.' You know, when you sang."

Hawkeye's eyes lit up. "Hughes you're a genius!" she said as she grabbed her keys and shouldered by him to get out of the door.

"Whoa whoa! Where are you going?" he said, genuinely confused.

"To the club. I forgot to pick up my money last time and-"

"Now? You're going now?"

"Of course," she said, getting a little suspicious. "When else would I go?"

'_Crap, she wasn't supposed to want to go now, she was supposed to wait! This isn't going according to plan!_' "Uh…later! You should pick up the money later!"

"Why wait when I can go now?"

"You can't go now…you-you have p-paperwork. Yeah! Paperwork!" Hughes stuttered out.

"I can do the paperwork later, I think my dog's life is a bit more important than making sure Mustang dotted all the _'i's_ and crossed all the _'t's_."

"Oh, right. Of course! Um, how about I drive you?" Hughes said.

"Okay." Hawkeye said. Hughes was acting pretty weird, but if he was willing to give her a ride she wasn't one to turn it down.


	16. Excuses, Excuses

Fever

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Ah, what happens when plans go awry.

Chapter 16 – Excuses Excuses

Hughes was acting rather cagey throughout the entire car ride, and he was driving unbelievably slow. Hawkeye wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him but she was much more concerned about the welfare of her dog than what was going on with Hughes. While Riza hadn't forgotten how he and Mustang had humiliated her she wasn't about to bring up how mad she was at him while he was doing her a favor.

They pulled up to the club around 5:30. Mustang wouldn't be out of work for another half hour and their plan wasn't suppose to take action until 7:00. '_How am I suppose to hold her off for another hour and a half?_' Hughes thought wildly. It occurred to him as they got out of the car and walked into the club. "Hawkeye, you stay here and I'll go find the Manager." Hughes said.

"Why can't we look together?" Hawkeye ask.

"Why can't we-" Hughes mumbled under his breath, "Because! Because you need to stay here and wait to-to see if the manager walks by! It'd just be silly if we were just walking in circles looking for him. If you stay here and I go look for him then we'll be twice as likely to find him!"

"Oh okaaayy." Hawkeye said, a little weirded out by Hughes' over protectiveness.

"Great! You stay there, and I'll go look for the manager." Hughes said as he promptly walked off toward the stage door.

"We could just ask one of the waiters where he is." Hawkeye said to Hughes' receding form.

Hughes found the manager almost immediately. "We've got a problem." He said to the little round man. "She's here."

"What do you mean? You said you'd bring her by a little before 7:00." The manager countered.

"I know, but things got a little out of hand and she's here _now_."

"Well what do we do?" the manager asked wringing his hands.

"Look, she just wants the money. She doesn't know anything about the plan, so what I need you to do is to tell her that you don't have her money right now and that she'll have to wait until after tonight's show." Hughes explained.

"But isn't she going to ask _why_ I don't have her money?"

"Tell her that you-you put it in the bank already and you can't get it to her until tomorrow."

"But then won't she just come back tomorrow?" the manager ask blowing holes through Maes' plan.

"Look, if it really was in the bank you wouldn't be able to get it until Monday anyway, so tell her that you'll give her the money you'll earn tonight. That way she'll have to come for it after the show." Hughes said. With all their bases covered the two gentlemen came out front to see Hawkeye chatting with Sam the bartender. "Does he know anything about the plan?" Maes asked the manager out of the side of his mouth.

"Everything." The manager replied back.

"Let's hope your hired help is discreet."

"Lieutenant!" Maes called out to her. "I found the manager." Hawkeye smiled at the small man as she shook his hand. "It's a bad break though," Hughes continued. "It turns out that he doesn't have the money ready for you."

"Oh really." Hawkeye said, interestingly enough she didn't appear surprised. "Why is that?"

"Oh, well sweet cheeks. After you ran off I went ahead and put that money in the bank. You know, I can't just carry around that kind of cash. But your friend here told me about your troubles and I decided the best plan was to just give you what we earn tonight as payment." The manager explained to her.

"That sounds fair." She said calmly. "I guess I'll just see you back here around closing time then." She finished as she started to get up and start toward the door.

"No!" the men said in sync.

"-err, what we mean is, why don't you stay for a while. You know, eat dinner…take in a show. You know to make up for this little mix up with the money." The manager said, beginning to sweat. He didn't like lying to military personnel. There was something about knowing they had a gun, bothered him.

"I guess that sounds all right." She said, being strangely cooperative now. Maes raised an eyebrow at her behavior, but was unwilling to question it. As long as she was here at 7:00, he didn't care why.


	17. Killing Me Softly

Fever

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: We already know: I don't own the song either. (Sung by Frank Sinatra, I'm telling you guys he's got one sexy voice melts)

Chapter 17 – Killing Me Softly

7:00 finally rolled around and Hughes invited his family over to The Red Herring for dinner. He wanted to make sure that Riza saw this show no matter what. The lights went down and the manager appeared on stage. Riza looked over her shoulder from her chair next to Hughes to Sam at the bar. He winked at her and smiled wide. She returned the smile and turned to watch the manager. All signs of the man's earlier nervousness were gone. Suddenly he was back in the circus, running the show. The manager turned ringleader began his introduction, "Ladies and Gents, regulars and first timers! Some of you watch me up here week after week and usually I make the same intro. It usually starts off with a welcome and then I throw in something about tonight's amateur acts being the best in Central—though we all know they aren't" he said with a wink. "But tonight, I don't bring you the usual amateurs. Tonight, we've got a very special act, for a very special lady. As some of you may know, I'm a romantic at heart, and when I heard about this I couldn't resist lending my stage to help the guy out. Please put your hands together for the one, the only, the Flame Alchemist!" The manager sidestepped off stage and Roy made his way on. He usual cocky grin played about his face. As he stepped up to the mic though, all cockiness slipped away. Riza was sitting in the table closest to the stage and she was the only thing he could see, the truth be told, the only thing he wanted to see.

"I've screwed up a lot in my life. I've done some things I'm not proud of, and I've gotten myself into some situations I shouldn't have. But through it all there was someone really special that stood by me. She smiled at my idiocies and knocked sense into me when I needed it the most. But most of all she's been there to keep me straight through it all, and I'm sorry to say that for years…I didn't notice. I didn't notice all the things she's done for me—all the things she _does_ for me. It wasn't until last week that I really saw her not just for the friend she was, but for the woman she is. This entire week, she's ignored me and given me the cold shoulder. All I can say is that its been killing me softly everyday. I've done this woman a grave injustice and I believe I've got to make it right. So here's trading one humiliated ego for another." Roy said. Suddenly a slow jazz band began to play softly in the background. He waited patiently for the intro to finish. When his cue came his sweet baritone voice rang out,

"_I heard she sang a good song, I heard she had a style.  
And so I came to see her and listen for a while.  
And there she was this young girl, a stranger to my eyes."_

"_Strumming my pain with her fingers,  
singing my life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song,  
killing me softly with her song,  
telling my whole life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song_" The words rang true…all of them, he'd just been too blind these past years to see it. The entire time he sang, he never took his eyes from her face.

"_I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd_," he felt himself blush a little remembering he was singing to more than just her.

"_I felt she found my letters and read each one out loud.  
I prayed that she would finish but she just kept right on_." As he started into the chorus again Riza smiled a wide teary-eyed smile. She was never very emotional, but no one had ever done something like this for her. It was one of the best gifts she could have ever received…especially coming from him. She knew how much this had to be killing his pride, to stand on stage and not just admit that he was wrong, but to _sing_ about it too!

"_Strumming my pain with her fingers,  
singing my life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song,  
killing me softly with her song,  
telling my whole life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song_"

Roy put his heart and soul into the next stanza because it seemed to sing exactly what'd happened that first night in the club,

"_She sang as if he knew me in all my dark despair  
and then she looked right through me as if I wasn't there.  
But she just came to singing, singing clear and stro_ng."

Riza could feel his intense emotion through the words and she could feel her heart catch in her throat.

"_Strumming my pain with her fingers,  
singing my life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song,  
killing me softly with her song,  
telling my whole life with her words,  
killing me softly with her song_" The last stanza had been sung and the music came slowly to a close. The spotlight turned off and Roy disappeared off stage. Riza sat spellbound in her seat. A handkerchief was offered in front of her face and a familiar voice asked "So, are we forgiven?" Hawkeye took the handkerchief and smiled at Hughes as she dabbed the corner of her eyes. "Yes, your forgiven." She said. A little part of her didn't want to forgive them…on the bright side, if she never forgave them it meant they'd try little stunts like this all the time and seeing Roy humiliate himself was quite entertaining. Still smiling she stood up and handed the handkerchief back to Hughes and made her way to the stage door.  
It didn't take long to find him, he was putting on his coat and attempting to escape out the back door without being noticed. She followed him out the back and caught his arm as he was walking down the street. She hooked her elbow in his. Definitely a move that was more natural to her Lady in Red counterpart, but something about it felt right. Roy turned to see her on his arm and smiled wide. "Does this mean you forgive me?" he said, adding in his trademark smirk.  
"Oh I don't know. Seeing you humiliate yourself once a week to try and get me to forgive you does sound enticing." She said, more of her Lady in Red traits flowing into her character. There was something liberating about having someone beg your forgiveness in song. It made her feel almost giddy…but that could have just been because she was so close to him. "I suppose I forgive you. It's kind of hard to stay mad at someone that serenaded you."  
"I know what you mean." He said back to her. "Sometimes things come out better in song. Don't you think?"  
She didn't say anything for a moment and just continued to walk with him arm and arm. After a little while she smiled and said, "Sam said that your rehearsals were murder."  
Roy was a little stunned, he'd assumed that this whole thing had been kept a secret. "So much for being a surprise." He mumbled.  
"Serves you two right for making Black Hayate sick."  
"Yeah I suppose so." Roy said looking at her. There was something different about her. This wasn't the same Hawkeye that he saw day in and day out in the office. She looked like the same woman…but it seemed that there was just a little of that Lady in Red still shining through the mask.  
"Regardless of Sam's opinion, I'd have to say that you really did well."  
"You think so?" he said looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm thinking about taking my show on the road, care to join me?"  
Riza sighed happily, and snuggled closer to his arm in the cool breeze, "Don't mind if I do."

Roy walked her the rest of the way home, he knew that even with his serenade there was no chance of getting invited inside. She wasn't that type of woman, but maybe with time, and a few more serenades he'd make it beyond the front doorstep. Looking at Riza in the dark his mind echoed back his thoughts in the bar that first night, but for now, he was just happy to see the smile on her face…it was even better because he knew she was smiling because of him. Roy, being the risk taker he was couldn't quite help himself and decided to try his luck. His arms remembered well what her slender form felt like. In a slow, but fluid motion he wrapped his arms around her and he said, "So what am I going to have to do to keep you from telling the guys about my little performance back there?"

"I dunno, do you have a little serenade in there for that?" she asked slyly, his face inching closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips as he said, "I think I might be able to work something out…" his lips lightly brushed hers and she was too stunned to say or do anything. All the chill from the night air was gone, only a blushing fever remained. Before she knew it he was gone, walking down the street and throwing a goofy smile over his shoulder to her. She hadn't actually thought he'd be so forward—not with her, but something in her was glad he was.

His arms remembered well what her slender form felt like. In a slow, but fluid motion he wrapped his arms around her and he said, "So what am I going to have to do to keep you from telling the guys about my little performance back there?"

"What are you going to do to stop me?" she asked slyly, his face inching closer to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips as he said, "I think I might be able to work something out…" his lips lightly brushed hers and she was too stunned to say or do anything. All the chill from the night air was gone, only a blushing fever remained. Before she knew it he was gone, walking down the street and throwing a goofy smile over his shoulder to her. She hadn't actually thought he'd be so forward—not with her, but something in her was glad he was.

She turned and went inside, muddling through her house as if in a dream. The restlessness was long gone. As she got ready for bed she glimpsed herself in the mirror. For some reason her reflection didn't seem quite the same…there was something different. It seemed that there was just a little of the Lady in Red still shining through her mask. After looking a little longer she decided that it wasn't the Lady in Red…it was her. Riza smiled at her reflection, the Lady in Red hadn't been as make-believe as she'd originally liked to think. The more she looked at herself, the more she realized that the Lady in Red was apart of her, just as much as her soldier self was, it was just that for once in her life, she was letting the Lady in Red out…'_and maybe'_ Riza thought, '_that isn't such a bad thing._'

* * *

This fic started out as pure fluff that I'd estimated to be like three pages long…well over 20 pages later, I guess I underestimated myself. I had fun with this fic and I hope you all did too. Hopefully the characters weren't too far out of character (though I do think I murdered Hughes at times). Also, for anyone that hasn't heard it I've got Frank Sinatra's version of this song on my comp for anyone that wants to hear it. Just email me.

On a side note, don't ask me to continue this fic. It's done, I'm done, there aren't going to be anymore chapters…a sequel maybe, but no more chapters (though a sequel is highly unlikely, so don't get your hopes up—unless you've got a story idea…)

I've had a few questions in the past about when Sam told Riza about Hughes and Roy's plan. Sam told her when she showed up to get the money and Hughes told her to wait while he got the manager. While Hughes was doing that, she walked over to chat w/ Sam and he mentioned it to her. That's why she wascooperating a little more when Hughes came back. I gave clues, but they're **really** subtle I know it may sound strange for a bartender to blab secrets but Sam could see that it was going to totally fall apart if someone didn't tell her...besides, he still thought she was pretty hot and he didn't think it was a bad idea to try and win points with her.


End file.
